Editor Dad: Cat TV is a thing

Saturday

Television for cats is a thing. I think it's safe to say the future finally has arrived.

Our gray cat meowed and pawed at the television screen. Her sister sat next to her wide-eyed. If they got any closer, they would be in the TV.

My daughters giggled.

Television for cats is a thing. I think it's safe to say the future finally has arrived.

It makes sense in a way. There are TV shows about everything. Right now, you might even be watching one of the popular ones about rich people sitting around doing nothing.

There is a show on Netflix that is just a fireplace with a roaring fire; actually, there are a couple of different ones. There is another show that is an aquarium full of fish.

My daughters like YouTube unboxing videos where kids open toys. That's it, they just open toys.

So, I wouldn't expect TV for cats to have much depth. I don't think our cats would shy away from a show because of its lack of character development.

I've watched one of my family's two cats spend about an hour batting around a rubber band. I've seen the other spend a good portion of the day falling over backward while trying to lick her stomach. Their definition of the finer things in life is much different than the rest of ours. Top five of their list would certainly include a cardboard box to sit in.

These videos show footage of birds doing bird stuff. They have titles like "Movies for cats: Forest birds and chipmunks," "Songbirds and squirrels on a tree," and "Chipmunk versus corn cob," which is a real barn burner.

When my wife came across these shows, she sent me a video of our cats eating it up. When I came home, we put it on again. Our cats immediately stopped what they were doing and jumped up on the TV stand to watch birds in a tree.

Their heads bobbed in unison as a cardinal jumped from one side of the screen to the other. Occasionally, our black cat would look back at us as if to say, "are you seeing this?"

It's recommended to limit screen time for your children, as the experts say it can hurt development. I don't know if these same rules apply for cats. I mean they don't seem to spend a lot of time texting other cats on their cellphones.

For us, watching the cats is far more entertaining than any show. Whenever our gray cat is snuggled up with my wife, I'm eager to watch our black cat steal her seat. She'll lick her sister's head and nudge her until she finally gets up. Then she takes her spot.

When one of my daughter's shoes is untied, the cats clear their schedule for the day to attack the shoelace.

And if there is nothing good on the TV to watch, they usually lay down in front of the window to watch the birds in our tree out front.